Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Jury Duty Day 1

I haven't blogged lately but I have an excuse -- I'm on jury duty this week! Yuk. Yes, I know it's my civic responsibility, blah, blah. If I could un-register to vote, I would. I'm doing my best to enjoy it as a break from the routine. So, last week I was getting everything ready at home so I could be gone for a week without too much falling apart. And this week I'm downtown every day all day. Yesterday I drove down by myself. I got there just fine but parking is $8 a day and I honestly don't have the temperament for downtown rush hour driving. Too much pressure. At one spot, the highway narrows down to 2 lanes (where, of course, traffic comes to a standstill) and then within a mile, two more lanes are merging on and I have to get over 2 lanes so I can get off the highway at the right street.Right after I got in the justice building, as I got on the elevator I met this very nice woman who is a librarian at a town nearby. My dream job! So she's been my new friend this week. Out of all the hundreds of people there, isn't it just awesome that God put her in my path?! There's also a woman from my church choir that's down there this week and I've been able to get to know her better. The potential jurors all sit in a big room. There are at least 200 people in there. It's a nice room though -- relatively comfy chairs, a few round tables and a quiet room for those who just want to sit and read and not be bothered. I didn't get called at all yesterday so I just sat and read my book all day. I brought a great book but this is not where I would choose to read it. My new friend Roberta got called mid-morning so I didn't see her again until this morning but she ended up not getting on the jury so she's back in the pool.I met a woman at lunch who didn't stop talking for a second. I'm not kidding. She has much wisdom to impart to the rest of us. I can't imagine being closed in a deliberating room with her. Yikes.Those are the highlights from my first day! Sharon